Platonic Love
by Ember Mage
Summary: As Mikaru confronts Kaito about Lucia, her only question is,What is love?


**Disclaimer: Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure** is copyrighted to Hanamori Pinku and Yokote Michiko.  
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**Platonic Love**

**by Ming Yi**  
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Darkness.

It fell over them, but unlike before it did not symbolize any joy. There was no more bedtime stories, no more heart-warming nights knowing that he was there for her. No more everything, in fact.

Why must this happen? It was fate. It was destined to be. No matter how hard her brother had tried to protect her from the painful truth, she just couldn't let go of him.

He was never destined to be with her in the beginning.

How she cried for him, ached for him, and tried to protect him with all her strength, and he did not like her back in that way. In fact, he liked _her_.

_Her_.

Nanami Lucia, a blonde in their class. Most of the boys had called her cute, and she was always willing to help people. Mikaru forced herself to view Lucia's act as a demon in an angelic disguise, ready to reveal her true evil ploy to steal Kaito away from her, but as much as she did not want to admit it, Lucia was pretty nice for a person.

A perfect match. Kaito and Lucia.

The thought of this made Mikaru feel more uneasy.

Now they both stood still in tranquility, with their shoes sinking with every step in the damp sand. Nothing could be heard except the murmurs of the ocean shore and the melody of the seagulls. The scene would have been more calming if Mikaru didn't know the truth; not that she wanted to know.

"_You love her_,"she finally choked out, albeit curtly. Her words flowed out like the waves being broken by the sandbar; not what she had wanted it to sound like. Her red-brown eyes slightly damp with tears.

He closed his eyes, as if that was a statement that he did not want to confirm. He stood facing away from her, at the round sphere beginning to glow in the soft sky. After a few seconds, he drew in a sharp breath and replied,"Mikaru, I-"

"You didn't answer my question, Kaito,"spoke up Mikaru, her voice now stable. She even dropped the suffix she had always used on his name. "Y-you... you love her, don't you?"

Kaito now faced Mikaru, his fire-orange hair waving slightly in the wind. His red eyes were mellow, and not an intensified fire. So, he wasn't angry with her. In fact, he looked a bit guilty. As much as he didn't want to hurt Mikaru, he had to be sincere to her. Not only that, but he had to be sincere to himself - and that he had to accept fate and his destiny too.

The silence was enough for Mikaru. Her heart collapsed and she broke down in front of his presence.

"_You love Lucia_, don't you??" she gasped between sobs, her hands furiously wiping her crystallized tears away.

Kaito sighed again and finally answered, calling her by her first name. "Yes, Mikaru. I do."

"_I knew it_!" Mikaru stood up, her face flushed in hot, angry tears. "I should have _known_ that you were going to do this to me!! You _pretended_ to like me when you actually love Lucia!!"

"That's not true,"Kaito tried to point out, but this response was cut off by the brunette.

"_That's not true_? Kaito-kun, do you love me?" asked Mikaru, her eyes swelling up with new tears again.

Kaito looked sheepish for a moment, and then answered with,"You're my friend. Of course I love you, Mikaru."

"But do you _love _me?" repeated Mikaru, stepping closer until her face was not far from his.

His unsteadiness answered her question, and immediately Mikaru felt torn. As if her jigsaw puzzle had a piece missing, and as if her heart had stopped. She swallowed, and asked,"What do you see in Lucia? I'll be like her, if it means you loving me."

He calmly replied,"Mikaru, please don't do this. I can't risk losing a friend like you. It's best if we maintain a healthy relationship as friends instead of going off like-"

"_Friends_?!" shrieked Mikaru hotly. "You think that we're _just FRIENDS_?!"

_Just a friend_. The words hurt as if Kaito had just slapped her and ripped her heart out. She knew that he saw their relationship as platonic, but she wanted something more. Like every daydreaming girl, she wanted a fairytale destiny. She wanted Kaito to pledge his undying love for her, and then kiss her under the moonlight. But her revelations were denied.

He probably had no idea how hard the words had stung her.

The boy pressed his hands onto Mikaru's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down, but she jerked out of his grip.

"Mikaru-"

"_Get away from me_!" Mikaru took a few steps back, but she accidentally kicked over a tree branch that had been washed upon shore a few days ago. With a cry, she fell backwards, but Kaito reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her fall.

_Silence_.

Mikaru broke down and fell to her knees, crying. "W-what can I do? _What can I do to make you love me_?"

Her words were utter nonsense as she could not fully express her feelings in a state like this, but Kaito understood. He knelt down in front of her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Mikaru, you don't need to do anything to make me like you. I already like you enough for who you are. Being yourself and no one else is a quality that makes you likable. It shows that you're not afraid of being an individual."

Mikaru looked up, her vision still blurred by her tears. "Y... you mean, like Lucia?"

Kaito looked a bit relieved, and cocked a half-smile. "Well, _yeah_, kind of like Lucia, you know. She never follows the crowd and does her own thing. I don't like it when people hide behind masks. Just be yourself."

"Myself?" murmured Mikaru. Kaito responded with a nod.

"No,"cried Mikaru, shoving him away."This is just a ploy to make me feel better. You knew. _You knew_!! Why.....why....?"

"Mikaru, it won't help if you push people away,"said Kaito. "You have to accept fate, even if you do not agree with it. Even though I love Lucia, I'll always love you too. You're like a sister to me."

"You don't know what love is!" Mikaru shot back, her face still red in rage.

Fortunately, Kaito had patience with the short-tempered girl. "Love is an affectionate feeling brought on with someone close to you by memory and the times spent together. It's a bond that connects one person to another, whether it's platonic or romantic."

The girl was stunned. Kaito shrugged and added carefully,"Well.... _isn't that what love is_?"

Mikaru felt defeated and lost. What was Kaito saying? She was left in confusion... he didn't love her and yet he did....

_What did this mean_?

Kaito continued with a warm smile and closed eyes. "Just because I don't love you in a way that you should be my girlfriend doesn't mean I don't love you. It's universal, and you can love your own friends and family. Your brother loves you. I love you. Everyone else would love you too if you gave them a chance."

"_Love... me_?" repeated Mikaru, as if she were in a trance. Her silence snapped as she screeched,"I don't know what you're talking about!! _Do you love me or not_??!"

Kaito almost groaned from having to repeat the same thing to Mikaru, but managed to bite his tongue before doing so. She was purely stubborn, but he couldn't let her anger win the battle; it would make things worse than they already were. He'd never had a friend this nice to him before, and of course, he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Mikaru in anyway, especially doing what she had yearned for.

"You say you love me and yet you _don't_!!" Mikaru went on. "What do you mean?? You either love me or you don't, and what does being friends have to do with it??!!"

He held out his hand, and answered,"In friendship, there is always love. Nothing would make sense if that wasn't so. True love always blooms from friendship, and you can give it to anyone. It's not some sort of object-thing, but an emotion. You give love, you have more than you had started with."

Mikaru once again halted her child-like actions. "K-kaito...."

Then it hit her.

It didn't matter if she pretended to be Lucia or not, Kaito already loved her for who she was. Nothing could ever change that.

Through the times they had spent together, he could never forget them. Even if he already had Lucia that didn't mean he couldn't love her too. Mikaru closed her eyes, the light sprinkling before her.

_She understood_.

Fresh tears fell from her pale cheeks, and she finally understood what Kaito meant. He was always there for her, as she was always there for him. The moon had already shown, and it seemed to brighten with every breath she took.

Kaito looked slightly concerned. "Mi....karu?"

"Kaito."

Mikaru opened her eyes, her vision covered with her newfound knowledge. The red-haired boy just grinned at her, happy that she knew. Mikaru gulped; her throat seemed dry at the moment. "K-kaito...?"

Her expressed love had a different meaning than it had been before.

"Yes, Mikaru?"

_Being friends is better than not being friends at all_.

"Kaito,"Mikaru said again, falling into his arms. "I love you....." 


End file.
